a. in half an hour, we'll bring you the latest coronavirus briefing from the government, but first the headlines... new figures from the department of health show the number of deaths in the uk from coronavirus has passed 40,000. it comes as statistics show the number of people infected in england with the disease falls to1 in 1000 in the last two weeks of may. ministers defend making face coverings compulsory on public transport in england, from 15th ofjune. in ireland, the taoiseach, leo varadkar, says they will dramataically accelerate their plan to ease lockdown restrictions in the coming days.

good afternoon and welcome to viewers on bbc one ahead of the daily government coronavirus briefing, expected around five o'clock. todayit today it is led by the health secretary, matt hancock. the offical number of deaths in the uk from coronavirus has passed 40,000 — according to new figures from the department of health — coming amid continued controversy about how quickly to ease the lockdown. figures reveal a further 357 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the uk, taking the total number of deaths in uk care homes, hospitals and the wider comminuty to more than 40,000. it comes as the latest study of coronavirus infections in england suggests a fall in the number of people with the illness. figures from the office for national statistics indicate one in 1,000 people had the virus in the community in the last two weeks of may — down from one in 400

the week before. elsewhere, the british medical association says the government's decision to make face coverings compulsory on public transport should be extended to anywhere that cannot ensure safe social distancing. 0ur health correspondent, lauren moss, reports. the virus that's put so many lives on hold. after 11 weeks in lockdown, new data suggests it may be slowly relaxing its grip. a survey by the office for national statistics estimates one in 1,000 people may now be infected in england. it shows the trend is going in the right direction, but there's a warning we should be cautious. what we're finding, if the rate of infection in society is falling, and it's now about 53,000 people, about one in 1,000 of us, but we're also finding about 70% of those people who are infectious are reporting no symptoms, so it's still important people keep their distance and wash their hands, because some people might be

infectious and not know it. this morning's commute shows public transport is still relatively quiet but, from the 15th ofjune, it will be compulsory in england for anyone travelling by tram, train, bus, plane orferry to wear a face covering. most people just want to do the right thing and get on top of this disease, and here's something small but important we can do to try to help, so i think most people will be very keen to follow it. for some, this move has been a long time coming. my concern, and i would go as far to say my anger, is the delay it's taken, because this could mean more people having caught the virus in the community, because there are some times you cannot keep a social distance, and this delay has been good for nobody. people in scotland and northern ireland are also advised to cover their nose and mouth where it's difficult to social—distance. the welsh government have said it's personal choice. so what is the science? experts are split over the benefits of wearing face coverings.

it's generally thought they could reduce the risk of someone with the infection passing it on, by containing more of the contaminated droplets that are coughed or breathed out. anyone who doesn't comply could be fined. it would be the same as if someone was travelling without a valid ticket for that particular service, so clearly the rail staff will be giving advice and will be helping to implement this, with the support of the british transport police. the 15th ofjune is the day nonessential shops can reopen and some secondary pupils will return to school in england. some health professionals are calling for face coverings to be more widely worn. i am particularly worried about those people who are vulnerable through their work, such as bus drivers, but also people packing shelves in the supermarkets, and the bma has been calling for this since april. following reports that the test and trace scheme may not be world

class until the autumn, ministers hope the phone app being trialled on the isle of wight to alert who've been near an infected person will be ready for wider roll—out this month. the official coronavirus death toll where someone has tested positive for coronavirus has now passed 40,000 in the uk. as we gradually unlock the door into a new reality, wearing face coverings is just one of the many changes we will all have to make. if you want to find out how many coronavirus cases there have been in your area, go to the bbc news website. enter your postcode or location and you can look up the figures for the number of cases and deaths where you are. you can find that at bbc.co.uk/news the death of george floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody in minnesota, has sparked a wave of protests against racial discrimination and police treatment

of african—americans in cities across the us and the world. rallies have been held in australia, france, the netherlands and in the uk, where thousands gathered in central london earlier this week. also this week, a report from public health england says that people from ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of dying from coronavirus. the impact of covid—19 is also "disproportionate" for other asian, caribbean and black ethnicities. but it remains unclear why. to speak about both these issues, joining me is lord simon woolley, founder of operation black vote and chair of the race disparity unit advisory group to number 10. good afternoon. very nice to welcome you to bbc news. good afternoon. these are two huge issues preoccupying us at the moment, this case of police brutality and the death of george floyd in america and

the way in which coronavirus is having this disproportionate impact on bme people, and i wonder what your thoughts are? because they are seismic and they shaken both continents, both in the usa, in europe and particularly in the uk there is palpable anger on both continents, and what both elements have done is to underline these deep—seated inequalities. 0f have done is to underline these deep—seated inequalities. of course, it was a police officer who killed him, but it was the american system, a grossly unequal system, that is pa rt a grossly unequal system, that is part of the cause of that death, and that's what people are on the streets about, and many people here think, that's over there, that in america, but many of those underlying elements of deep inequality that have been laid bare by covid—19 are here in this country as well, such as low levels of pay, high levels of unemployment, police stop and search, etc, etc, and people are saying this is a

variation of the same thing where we are not treated with equality. even though the histories of the us and the uk are so different, you feel thatis the uk are so different, you feel that is why it resonates strongly here. it is palpable and its anger, and that's why we have been calling in the uk, with british government, that we need a covid—19 race equality strategy, a strategy to tackle these underlying deep—seated inequalities of this disease does not target race but it does target those areas in our society that have deep—seated inequalities, such as employment, such as housing and inequalities in health. it's these areas in which black people, black and minority ethnic people are being disproportionately impacted. we could say the same for the criminal justice system of stop and search. everyday young black kids are stopped and searched and humiliated, and area stopped and searched and humiliated, and are a whisker away at times from severe violence. i spoke with the

chief of police, considered dashing to cressida dick yesterday and said we need an urgent and honest conversation about those who are still heavy—handed, and we need to build the trust with communities so that police officers can police with consent, not brutality. you have been campaigning on these issues for many years and you will be aware there have been moments in the last 20 years when the focus has been very much on bame communities in this country, over the stephen lawrence case, for example. is the present focus, does it give you a cause for optimism? do you think this can be used...? because i am glad you asked, because it's really important. this could be a 1945 moment, where we came out of the second world war and built the nhs, something we are proud of today for subi something we are proud of today for sub i would argue, from this awful

crisis, we can build a precise —— a society with infrastructures which offer fairness, but it needs leadership and bravery and a grand plan to stop we can do one of three things as we come out of that, nothing, a little or something brave and bold. iwill nothing, a little or something brave and bold. i will be speaking with ministers and institutions and communities to say, let's seize this moment. let's create a new social and race equality contract that builds something special from this awful disease. historians will look back on this moment and they will ask one question, from this awfulness, whether it was george floyd in the usa or covid—19 in the uk, what was our response? and i hope that we build something special so, when we look back, we can say, during this awful time, we focused oui’ during this awful time, we focused our attention and build something special. so we are talking in a

broadbrush fashion, quite generally, but you are the chair of the race disparity unit advisory group to downing street. if you could get one thing from this, what would your priority be? crow to sit down have an honest conversation first when i took up this role from the last prime minister, theresa may, she was very clear about this, she said, i wa nt very clear about this, she said, i want you to lay bare those uncomfortable truths in our society, these deep—seated inequalities. it's not going to be pretty and we will bea not going to be pretty and we will be a bit ashamed of them but, if we lay them bare, we have an honest and strong plan, we can fix them, and i haven't sat down with borisjohnson yet or many of his ministers, but i wa nt yet or many of his ministers, but i want to, and i want them to take their guard down and not be on the defensive, and i want them to say, listen, simon and others, what do we need to do to fix these deep—seated inequalities among because, as we come out of covid—19, we are going

to need all the talent we have on oui’ to need all the talent we have on our doorstep, and that's north, south, east and west, and white, young and old, but unless we are honest, unless we say, there are two of the for too many people, we will come out of this and go back to the old. —— there are too many obstacles for too many people. we need a new, dynamic norm which sees creativity and energy and ensures that it has ways to fulfil its opportunity stop thatis ways to fulfil its opportunity stop that is why, when you said, is there an opportunity out of this awfulness, yes, there is, but we have to seize it. that sounds like a call to arms to the government. do you think they will say yes?|j call to arms to the government. do you think they will say yes? i am saying, we have a petition to call for a covid—19 race equality strategy, 20,000 people have signed it. it's in his gift. a lot of people will not be asking, they will be demanding. this will be demanding. they will be demanding it

because they will say, this and, we are going to have the biggest economic downturn we have seen for a long time. unless we have a plan that utilises all of that talent, it's going to take this country a long time to get off its knees. i don't want that. i want to turbo—charge the recovery in every city, in every corner of the country, but it needs leadership. city, in every corner of the country, but it needs leadershipm you get to have that conversation, come back and tell us about it. thank you so much. from june 15th, facemasks will have to be worn on public transport in england. in scotland, nicola sturgeon has continued to recommend the use of facemasks on public transport and in enclosed spaces such as shops. in wales, the country's first minister says there's a "marginal public health case" for facemasks to stop covid—19. and in northern ireland they are still being considered by stormont. let's speak to dr chaand nagpaul, who is the council chair of the british medical association. the bma is the trade union and professional body

for doctors in the uk. good afternoon and thank you for joining us on bbc news. you have been calling for facemasks for quite a while, so you must be pleased that this development in england. we feel this development in england. we feel this is long overdue. we called for this is long overdue. we called for this towards the end of april and, in fact, it came after we had information about the significant numbers of key workers from bame communities who were dying from covid—19. we felt it was important that the community were protected from infection, because it spreads when people are near each other, and large numbers of the population, even during lockdown, have been working, they have been mixing with others, they haven't had the protection. and we know that these face coverings can reduce the spread of droplets by up to 70 to 80%, and if more people wear them it protects both the wearer and the person in

turn because, if everyone wears them, we are other nations like germany, france, austria, belgium, italy, have been recommending and mandating the use of face coverings for quite a while. they were part of the easing of lockdown in countries like spain, where the government made millions of facemasks for the public available when they went to public available when they went to public transport facilities like railway stations, so we are certainly behind many other nations in making this policy. is you have been speaking, we havejust in making this policy. is you have been speaking, we have just received some updated guidance from the world health organisation, who appear to have beefed up their advice on facemasks. they are saying government should encourage people to wear masks in shops, on public transport and areas where social distancing isn't possible, and also that people aged 60 or over or those with underlying health issues should

wear medical masks in situations where social distancing isn't possible. but there is a caveat, which is that masks alone will not protect you from covid—19 and they are not a replacement for hand hygiene and social distancing. i suppose that is a key point, isn't it? absolutely. we at the bma have been very clear that face coverings are to add additional protection, they should not result in complacency or a false sense of security, and you still need to maintain social distancing, but this adds additional protection for a virus that is deadly. it results in ill health, in people getting to hospital, it results in death. anything that can add to the protection, as more people are going out because of the easing of lockdown, it's imperative. what we feel is that it mustn'tjust be about public transport. if we believe in social distancing, if we believe in social distancing, if we believe that getting closer than two metres places people at risk, and thatis metres places people at risk, and that is why we are advocating

facemasks in public transport, the same logic must surely apply when people are crowded in supermarkets, in shops and other crowded areas. if we can make that a policy, like other nations have made, we believe that it will help contain the spread and, if it's going to even reduce a limited number of people from getting the infection and becoming seriously ill or dying, that must be a good thing. it is interesting the varying degrees of agreement with you from the various devolved government, isn't it? in england on public transport facemasks will be compulsory in a week, but that is not the case in the other three nations. it is confusing, because scotla nd nations. it is confusing, because scotland actually announced the recommendations for face coverings as the first nation in the uk. what is confusing for us and the public is confusing for us and the public is that not that long ago the government said there was not

evidence recommend face coverings, then we heard the prime minister recommending them after scotland recommended them. clearly something must have changed in theirjudgment of the evidence, and now of course it is mandatory. but we believe we should be doing what other nations have implemented. we know that in china, korea, countries where they have really contained the virus, this has been one of the measures they have used, and as i said earlier in europe it has been employed for many, many weeks now. and not just the employed for many, many weeks now. and notjust the who that you mentioned just now but the european disease for —— european centre for disease for —— european centre for disease prevention has announced the recommendation forface disease prevention has announced the recommendation for face coverings in places where you cannot socially distance. there is plenty of backing saying this makes sense. i believe the government must make this available to the public. we should readily be allowing the public to access these masks, and not in a situation where you make a recommendation but find you are having difficulty accessing them. i

should also just having difficulty accessing them. i should alsojust point having difficulty accessing them. i should also just point out that what we are talking about is face coverings. we are not talking about high—grade medical masks. those of course need to be prioritised for the nhs, but the face coverings that are used are still highly effective in preventing the spread from one person to the other. also, remember, a significant proportion of the population are asymptomatic and that is why these face coverings become so important, because people doubt 110w so important, because people doubt now that they may be infectious, and some people may actually be in the presymptomatic phase so if they become infected they won't know until a few days later, so the masks are until a few days later, so the masks a re really until a few days later, so the masks are really valuable from the position of asymptomatic spread, where people don't know they are infected. very good to talk to you. thank you so much. dr chaand nagpaul, council chair of the british medical association, thank you so much. the crown prosecution service has been asked to review evidence into the death of a railway worker

who was reportedly spat at by a man claiming to have coronavirus. police concluded last week that belly mujinga's death was not linked to the incident and closed the case. but since then more than a million people have signed a petition in support of ms mujinga and the police will now review the case, in recognition of the "wider public interest". the government in the republic of ireland has announced plans to accelerate its exit from lockdown. from monday, groups of six people can meet indoors or outdoors, provided social distancing is maintained. up to 15 people can take part in sport outdoors. and up to 25 people can attend funerals. retail stores and public libraries will also be able to reopen. a week later, shopping centres will be able to open. and, should the virus remain under control, tourist accommodation and pubs with restaurant licenses will be open to reopen towards the end ofjune.

the deaths of 40,000 people who had covid—19 is a terrible, and stark, reminder of the effect coronavirus has had on the uk, a virus which only arrived here in march. our special correspondent, allan little, looks at the lives lived, of some of those who died. behind the statistics, the government charts, the number crunching are the lives lost. ricardo bonsato, known as ricky, was 54. he worked in a care home in lancashire. the residents knew him for his kindness, compassion and sense of fun. he leaves a wife and two children. ina beaton was 103. she lived through the 1919 spanish flu pandemic and the clydebank blitz. she died in her care home on the isle of skye. her family said she was known throughout the island and loved its language and culture. jamshed siddiqui was

a florist from hodge hill near birmingham. he fell ill on the day lockdown began and died in intensive care. the consultant sat us down and said, "look, i don't think he's going to make it," and then i gave the opportunity to my older brother to hold his hand in his last moments. yeah. and then i think he spent three to five minutes, then i think my father sadly passed away. earl fuller, known as sam, joined the prison service after a 20—year career in the army. he was a physically fit 60—year—old. his family said he was hugely popular, always the barbecue man at parties. christina poel was from hornchurch in east london. during the second world war, she worked on breaking the enigma code at bletchley park. she kept her work secret for 40 years. she was 97. clive futter from mold in north wales had worked as an airbus inspector. he was 78.

his family said he had an amazing sense of fun and an immeasurable lust for life. liz spooner worked as a nurse at the same hospital in swansea for 41 years. she was 62. "devastated is an understatement", one of her friends there said, "another dear colleague lost". gordon reid, known as gogs, was an edinburgh taxi driver. he was 68. his friends, unable to attend his funeral, paid tribute outside his local pub. applause he was cautious, stopping work to stay at home days before the lockdown began. my dad was funny. wejust had a huge amount of fun with my dad. he absolutely doted on his grandkids and my kidsjust adored him. we just had such a lot of fun. he had a huge group of friends. everyone that knew him just loved him, really. he was a fit and healthy guy, liked going out and playing golf and just socialising

with his friends. it was all just about fun with my dad, really. poornima nair was a 56—year—old gp from county durham, a wife and a mother. "it's unbelievable", her practice manager said, "her heart was with the nhs and what she could do to help. she'll be so missed." steve lynham from burnham—on—sea was 44. he and his wife, denise, would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary next year. she was also in hospital with covid—19 and recovered. "steve was loving, caring and fun", she said. "please, take this seriously, stick to the rules, don't go through our heartache. " allan little, bbc news. with me now is our health correspondent, lauren moss. allan little they are talking about some ofjust allan little they are talking about some of just —— just allan little they are talking about some ofjust —— just some of the 40,000 deaths we now know have

happened, very grim figure to be reporting today. yes, a grim milestone nobody wanted to reach. 347 further deaths reported, and 47,000 -- 347 further deaths reported, and 47,000 —— people —— 40,207 people have died in all settings, care homes, the community and hospitals, after testing positive for coronavirus. in fact, we can show you a graph now of those daily death figures, and you can see, and hopefully we can show you that the peak of the virus in mid april, where there were many deaths in a single day, then there was that slow downward climb, and today there has been a bit of a rise but these won't been a bit of a rise but these won't be for all deaths in the last 24 hours. some will be accounted for from a few days and weeks, but it will only be that data updated in the last 24 hours. there may be many more deaths than anticipated here at the start of the outbreak.

remembering back at the start of the outbreak the chief science 0fficer patrick vallance said if the number of deaths in the uk were kept to below 20,000 that would have been a positive result. every year in seasonal flu the number of deaths is thought to be about 8,000 excess deaths. so if we can get this done to numbers 20,000 and below, that's a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get to with this outbreak, but, i mean, it's still horrible. and this was echoed by the nhs medical director, stephen powis, nhs medical director, stephen powis, nhs medical director, stephen powis, nhs medical director, as well. he said, we would have done very well at the dettol was kept below 20,000. of course we have passed double that number now, and as i said, a milestone nobody wanted to reach. families, friends and loved ones on the morning. this is a number that will continue to prompt many questions in the days and months ahead. so very sombre moment, but some different news from the office

for national statistics about the number of infections we have? the ons number of infections we have? the 0ns are carrying out household in england. 9000 homes where they are carrying out random swab testing to see if there is any trace of the virus, and they found the number of coronavirus infections in england has possibly fallen to 5600 a day, working out roughly at around one in 1000 people. a few weeks ago it was thought to be one in 400 people so this is quite a reduction in shows a bit of turning the corner and a downward trend. looking at the official number of cases we get the data for dairy, people tested in hospitals, care homes in the community, —— community, anyone registering for a test online, and we can see that downward steady overall trend, some days higher than others but in the last 24 hours 1650 positive tests recorded in the last day. although ahead of this week the head of the testing programme said they could be false negative test up to 20% of the time, so that is up to

five tests, where someone has tested negative. there is an argument this week about whether those people should be tested again. also to point out with the 0ns survey, this is just community testing, people's homes, it is not testing in hospitals or care homes where we know that especially in care homes outbreak has been more severe. also today we have had an update on the r figure, the rate of transmission? yes, the reproduction rate of the virus, how many people and infected person can then pass it onto. the aim is to keep it below one but the government has confirmed across the uk it is now between 0.7 and 0.9, and in england it is thought to be slightly higher, around 0.7 two one. these figures are a couple of weeks old and won't reflect any of this easing of the locked—in —— zero .7 to one. different models produced seem to also suggest the r number may be higher in certain areas of

the country such as the north—west and south—west but the margin is very difficult, to be clear about what this particularly means and also as the number of new infections reduces the r numberfor the scientists becomes slightly less releva nt. scientists becomes slightly less relevant. if i give an example of how you would take the two together, say you have a group of ten people who then infected another person, that would push up the r number but it doesn't necessarily mean the number of new infections is spreading exponentially in one particular area, so you need to look at the two together and if the overall number of infections are reducing, as we appear to be seen, thatis reducing, as we appear to be seen, that is positive news. thank you very much indeed, lauren with me now is our political correspondent, jessica parker. sharp eyes have spotted there only appears to be one legged turn in the briefing room in downing street which is unusual. yes, you usually see a minister flanked which is unusual. yes, you usually see a ministerflanked by which is unusual. yes, you usually see a minister flanked by one or two health officials, and to understand the plan now is for matt hancock,

the plan now is for matt hancock, the health secretary, to take the press c0 nfe re nce the health secretary, to take the press conference alone. that will be getting under way in the next few minutes and, as lauren was talking about, potentially quite a lot on the agenda this afternoon, not least, that grim milestone of passing 40,000 deaths in the uk. ministers have talked before, when they faced criticism for how they have handled coronavirus, the response, whether regarding personal protective equipment, whether regarding care homes, to some extent they have defended their approach but also said, yes, lessons will be learnt in the future, but potentially now is the time to focus on tackling coronavirus, a virus which is still with us in this country, as reflected by that r number we have been hearing about today remaining between 0.7 to 0.9, with regional variations. of course, one reason that number is crucial, yes, it's an indicator of where the infection is, how fast it might be

spreading or numbers going down, but it's something the prime minister has talked about the fourth in terms of easing the lockdown first up they wa nt to of easing the lockdown first up they want to keep a close eye on that r numberand want to keep a close eye on that r number and the concern would be, if it goes above one, you start to see the infection spread, and we know the infection spread, and we know the government are hoping to continue cautiously easing the lockdown in different ways, trying to get the economy moving and some children back to school, so i think that will be up for discussion today. one wonders if there will be talk about facemasks as well. yes, i think that is very likely. we learned yesterday that facemasks in england will be made mandatory on public transport. the transport secretary announced that yesterday. that is after many weeks, if not months, where that issue had been discussed and scientists had said that actually some of the evidence around facemasks, some of the scientists were saying, was relatively weak, and today we have already heard from ministers, suggesting that it's a slightly

marginal matter, but i think there area marginal matter, but i think there are a couple of things to talk about in that sense. there are studies to show it can make a difference, particularly in terms of helping people stop them passing the virus on. it doesn't necessarily particularly help, studies have suggested, in stopping people getting the virus but it can be instrumental in stopping people passing it on, but something else the prime minister has talked about before is that he hopes it will give people the confidence to go back to work and use public transport. for example, looking ahead to late in the month and the middle of the month, when this mandatory measure would be introduced, its around the same time that they want to move forward , same time that they want to move forward, if conditions are right, forward, if conditions are right, for opening nonessential retail, and what downing street was saying earlier today is, when you do that, you might also see some secondary school students, year ten at 12, getting some face—to—face time with teachers, and you could see more people on public transport, and that's one reason why they want to

encourage people to wear face masks. it will be mandatory and they talked about the possibility of fines yesterday, but i think the hope is that people will largely obey these rules and that fines will not be necessary in most cases put up ministers also face questions about, 0k, fine, you are going to make facemasks... 0k, fine, you are going to make facemasks. .. it is 0k, fine, you are going to make facemasks... it is matt 0k, fine, you are going to make facemasks. .. it is matt hancock. are welcome to the daily briefing. before taking questions from the public and the media, i would like to start by sharing the latest data stop if we could have first slide, please. this shows the information on infections. the data published by the office for national statistics this morning shows that the number of people who had coronavirus in england fell from around 139,000 between the third and 16th of may to

around 53,000 between the 17th and 30th of may. that is represented in percentage terms in this right—hand chart, which demonstrates that the percentage of the population testing positive has been falling consistently over recent weeks. sage have confirmed that the r across the whole of the uk is between 0.7 and 0.9, and the office for national statistics survey also estimated the number of new coronavirus infections, which stands at 39,000 per week, which is equivalent to around 5600 per day, and this is lower than the similar estimate made last week. so these are encouraging trends about the reducing spread of coronavirus across the country first next slide, please. this slight

shows progress on testing, and the number of new, confirmed cases. in total, 5,214,000 thousand ——, including 207,231 tests yesterday. these data on tests include both the swa b tests, these data on tests include both the swab tests, to find out if you have coronavirus, and also the antibody tests, which stand atjust over 40,000 antibody tests per day. the antibody tests find out if you have had the virus and, if you have had the virus, then you can help make a difference, because, by donating your plasma from your blood which has your antibodies in it, you can help somebody who is currently suffering in hospital with

coronavirus. i did this earlier today. i gave my antibodies, and the process is simple, straightforward. if you have had coronavirus, if you go to the nhs blood and transplant websites, you can donate your antibodies and help protect somebody who is currently in hospital with coronavirus, and i would encourage anybody who can do that to step forward. the chart also shows that the number of confirmed cases is 1650 yesterday, which brings the total number of confirmed cases, confirmed by positive swab tests, to 283,311. next slide, please. this shows the data from hospitals. there we re shows the data from hospitals. there were 694 admissions, new admissions,

with covid—19 on the latest data, which has fallen over the last week. that data includes england, wales and northern ireland, not scotland. also, the bottom data, which is across the whole uk, shows the number of people in ventilator beds has fallen from 751 on the 28th of may, a week ago, down to 571, and this is down from a peak of over 3000 on the 12th of april. next slide, please. slide numberfour shows the regional breakdown of people in hospital, and it shows that over 7000 people remain in hospital, 7080, to be precise, but this is down 15% from a week ago and a peak of over 20,000 in april. the

final slide, next slide, a peak of over 20,000 in april. the finalslide, next slide, please, shows the number of people who have sadly lost their lives, and this number stands at 40,261, on the latest information, which is 357 higher than yesterday. and these slides demonstrate that, although the past few months have been a time of sorrow for so many people, because each of these deaths is not a statistic but the loss of a loved one for so many families. the slides also show that we have made progress in ourfight against also show that we have made progress in our fight against the virus, but they also show that there is so much more to do. thank you. it shows that we must always remain vigilant, especially when it comes to protecting our nhs, has been at the

front line of the battle. of course, thanks to an enormous national effort, we protected the nhs and prevented it being overwhelmed, which in turn saved lives. today, i wa nt to which in turn saved lives. today, i want to set out further steps that we are taking to protect the nhs, and especially around face coverings and especially around face coverings and facemasks. yesterday, the secretary of state for transport announced face coverings will become mandatory on public transport from the 15th of june, mandatory on public transport from the 15th ofjune, with a few specific exceptions, like those with breathing difficulties. this doesn't mean surgical masks, which should be kept for clinical settings, but the kind of facemasks you can easily make at home, and there is a good guide on gulf dot uk. as more people go back to work and the passenger numbers start to increase, so face coverings on transport become more

important. likewise, as the nhs reopens across the country, it is critically important to stop the spread amongst staff, patients and visitors, so today we are setting out that all hospital visitors and outpatients will need to wear face coverings. 0ne outpatients will need to wear face coverings. one of the things we have learned is that those in hospital, those who are working in hospital are more likely to catch coronavirus whether they work in a clinical setting or not, and so to offer even greater protection we are also providing new guidance for nhs staff in england which will come into force on the 15th ofjune, and all hospital staff will be required to wear type one or two surgical masks, which will cover all staff working in hospital. it will apply at all times, notjust when they in hospital. it will apply at all times, not just when they are in hospital. it will apply at all times, notjust when they are doing life—saving work on the front line.

it will apply in all areas except those areas designated as coronavirus secure workplaces for the where the guidance recommends more stringent protection, that remains in place. upgrading this guidance to make sure that, even as the virus comes under control, and as we saw people in incidents across the country, our hospitals are a place of care and safety. we have also strengthened infection control in care homes and we are working with the social care sector on how this approach can apply appropriately in social care as well. it's about protecting the nhs and social care, which means protecting our colleagues who work in the nhs and in social care. and i wa nt to in the nhs and in social care. and i want to say this to all my collea g u es want to say this to all my colleagues in health and social care stop as we get this virus under control, it is so important that we stamp out new infections and

outbreaks. of course, in health and care, you do this brilliantly all the time, and coronavirus is no exception. that means that, if one of your team tests positive, you have to follow the isolation advice. the natural impulse, of course, of anybody who works in care in the nhs, is that i think you can best do is be there to help, to be there for the patient, but of course, if you have the virus are at risk of having the virus, the best thing that you can do for them, as well as yourself, is to isolate at home. this means that social distancing in the workplace also must be reiterated, and it mattersjust the workplace also must be reiterated, and it matters just as much as anywhere else. and i know that social distancing and self isolation can cause big logistical challenges, and we will support you in doing what is right and

necessary. all of us have a role to play here. and the last thing i want to say is this, that ahead of this weekend, when i know there are plans for further protests, i want to say something to you as health secretary. like so many, i am appalled by the death of george floyd, and i understand why people are deeply upset. but we are still facing a health crisis, and coronavirus remains a real threat, and the reason that it is vital that people stick to the rules this weekend is to protect themselves and theirfamily from weekend is to protect themselves and their family from this horrific disease. so, please, forthe their family from this horrific disease. so, please, for the safety of your loved ones, do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations, of more than six people. we all need to stay alert,

control the virus and save lives. if we now go to questions, the first question is from steve from bath. the bank of england bailout scheme has paid out1.8 the bank of england bailout scheme has paid out 1.8 billion to airlines with no conditions on emissions or jobs. how do you square that with your promises of a green transport revolution? thank you, steve. i think one thing we have seen during this crisis is that, clearly, the level of greenhouse gas emissions has fallen sharply, and that, of course, includes airlines, because the number of flights has fallen very, very sharply indeed. i think it is very important that we hit that goal of net zero emissions that we have set as a country. we were the first country to set such an ambitious goal but, on our route there, of course, flying remains important, even though the number of

flights has fallen. 0ne important, even though the number of flights has fallen. one of the good things amongst this terrible virus is that the amount of cycling has increased enormously, and more than doubled, so i think we are making some progress in some areas, and clearly the lockdown has had a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions, but we also do need an airline industry as we come out of this so that people can move about. what we need is a long—term trajectory to getting to net zero that everybody can get behind. the next question is from sam from chester. asks, the likes of gardens and big shops are now starting to reopen with social distancing measures in place. when will zoos be able to say the same thank you for your question. it's something that is close to my heart.

because chester zoo is such a fantastic zoo, and coming from chester myself i know it extremely well, and i really hope we can open zoos well, and i really hope we can open zoos in a safe way, and i know the pressure on zoos. i zoos in a safe way, and i know the pressure on zoos. i have heard representations from those who are running zoos. not least because, unlike some other shops that can just close, you still have to be there, in the zoo, looking after the animals, and they are mostly outside. so i very much hope we can get zoos reopened in a safe and covid secure way, but of course like all these things it has to be done ina way all these things it has to be done in a way that doesn't allow the r to go above one and doesn't allow the virus to go out of control. thanks very much, sam. we will now turn to questions from journalists. the

first is from hugh pym from the bbc. thank you very much indeed. i wanted to ask a couple of questions related in one. firstly, the government's chief scientific adviser said keeping the death total to 20,000 or below would be a good outcome. it is now above 40,000. how do you assess that outcome given where we are now? the other one was on the r number. there has been some modelling suggesting regional variations, certainly in england, are quite pronounced, in the south—west and north—west, and it is estimated there to be around one. is that a concern and might there be a case for more original restrictions? you, hugh, andi for more original restrictions? you, hugh, and i think that the day that the number of deaths from coronavirus has gone over 40,000 is a time of sorrow for us all. we have

to remember that each one of these is an impact on a family that will never be the same again. and my heart goes out to them all. and my heart goes out to them all. and it makes me redouble my determination to deal with this virus, and to get that incidence write down. and the way that you get incidents write down, and exactly as you say, the questions are linked, it is to get the r below one. we are increasingly getting better regional data. you are right that the r is closer to one in the south—west and in the the advice from sage is that ris in the the advice from sage is that r is below one in all regions. however, we want to increasingly have an approach of tackling local lockdowns where we spot a flare—up. we have been doing this over the last few weeks. for instance, there

was a flare—up in weston—super—mare which we successfully have got under control. and making sure that we use these extra focused data, both at a regional level and then more locally than that, it is incredibly important. so the newjoint bio—security centre has been tasked to look into each area where there isa to look into each area where there is a flare—up. both the north—west and south—west, which are highlighted by the regional data, are big areas themselves, and we need to get granular and more focused, and find the source of the local outbreak and then deal with it. a quick follow up on another subject, if i may. michel barnier has said that trade talks between the eu and the uk are not progressing well. what are the chances, do you think, of a no deal? i very much hope we avoid that because our position is very reasonable. it is that any agreement we reached

must reflect the fact that the uk is an independent sovereign state, and we are working very hard and we will accelerate the work to make progress in talks and by the end of the year so that we can put into place the vision that has already been agreed between the uk and the eu, which is based within the political declaration. you know, ispent based within the political declaration. you know, i spent all my time working on coronavirus, and i think, given the time that has passed, it is time for both sides to work together, and we are willing to accelerate that work to get that final agreement based on a vision that has been agreed, and then we can progress. thanks very much, hugh some quotes from sky? secretary of

state, you seem to be cherry picking the most positive data, but doesn't that give an over positive gloss to what is going on? public health england, the body which reports to you which says the regional our number is rising in many places —— sam cotes from sky. the cambridge university study co—authored by your very own public health england suggests it could be above one in liverpool and manchester. this study suggests the r number is rising, and i quote, probably due to increased mobility and mixing between households and in public and workplace settings. are they wrong? would you tell the people of the north west and the south—west this weekend to still exercise all of the new freedoms given to them by the prime minister this weekend? 0r should they exercise a little bit of extra caution? i think everybody should exercise caution, sam. i think that is an incredibly important part of what we all had to

do at this point, and in a way the discussion of the higher r in the north—west and south—west that is estimated compared to the rest of the country is an important part of moving towards a more localised approach rather than national approach rather than national approach to the lockdown. it is very important that you look at all of these different studies in the round. the study you mentioned is an important one, but the overall assessment, which is brought together by sage, which advises the chief medical officer, is what i look at. we referred to the office for national statistics study published this morning on slides, and that is based on data rather than modelling, but what i do is look at all of these different studies, and the overall view of sage is that the r is between 0.7 and 0.9 and that it is higher in the

south—west and north—west of england, but it remains below one in each area. that doesn't take away from the need to make sure we spot and crack down on localised outbreaks when they come. and crack down on localised outbreaks when they comem and crack down on localised outbreaks when they come. if you had to do tomorrow a local lockdown, as their infrastructure in place to make that happen? yes, and as i said in my answer to hugh pym we have been doing it for the past weeks, for instance, in weston—super—mare. thanks, sam. the next question is from itv. health secretary, you said if the r number increases we might have regional lockdowns and that was mentioned in the previous to my answers. many people in those areas have no idea what a regional lockdown would look like. when can we expect the guidance on what that would actually be in practice? also, are you talking to metro mayors and

other authorities in areas where the r rate is high about what they can do to protect their populations, and how they should be enforcing a regional lockdown? yes, these are really, really important subjects. as pa rt of really, really important subjects. as part of the overall test and trace programme the baroness is running, we have as part of that the engagement through in england local authorities and the regional mayors, and also of course with my collea g u es and also of course with my colleagues in the devolved countries, because the phd study is of course about england and the same increasingly localised approach needs to be taken in the devolved nations as well —— the phe study. those connections are made, and in fa ct we those connections are made, and in fact we brought in tom reeled in, the chief executive of leeds city council, in order to ensure that we have that connection between the measures that need to be taken at a local level and of course the

national oversight of that. it is an incredibly important system. it is already working, as i mentioned, in my response to one of the first question is, but we are continuing to strengthen it and strengthen the data feeds so we can get more and more localised information. you have repeatedly said that easing the lockdown, and this was from the very beginning of this pandemic starting and you talking about the next steps, is conditional on that r number, and the models that again have been mentioned by my colleagues suggest there are regions that are close to or above one. well at what figure and at what point do you put the brakes on your plan to ease the lockdown? is there a number at which you stop proceeding with easing of these measures? as i said, all of these measures? as i said, all of the different studies are brought together through sage his assessment is the overall uk r is between 0.7 and 0.9 and in a way the question highlights the need to do that and bring all of these studies together,

because today we have had news from the office of national statistics implying that the number of new cases is coming down, and down to around 5600 per day. then we have had other studies implying it is higher than that, and what i would do is listen to —— what i do is listen to all of this advice, and make sure it is synthesised, then you get an overall view. what they do confirm across the board is that there is a challenge in the north west of england that we need to address, and to a lesser degree in the south—west of england, where the issueis the south—west of england, where the issue is slightly different, which issue is slightly different, which is in the south—west overall incidence of the diseases is much lower —— of the disease is much lower, but the r, as in the rate of change of that, is a little higher than elsewhere in the uk. so exactly as is implied in your question, you can't just look at one as is implied in your question, you can'tjust look at one of

as is implied in your question, you can't just look at one of the studies. you have to look at all of the information you have in the round and sage advise us on that and thejoint virus round and sage advise us on that and the joint virus security centre is in fact being built to ensure we can bring all of that information together, and then he advised how to act on it whether that is at a national level through ministers or ata national level through ministers or at a local level. thanks very much. the next question is from gordon rayner from the telegraph. thank you, secretary of state. could you explain to people if there is a different r rate in the community as opposed to in hospitals and care homes? and also, why have you only just made face masks mandatory for hospital staff now? it seems like a fairly common sense thing to do. was it purely because of the lack of ppe before that? the change we made in hospitals is about facemasks for

staff, face coverings for patients, and as we bring the overall incidence of the disease down, so we've got to make sure we cut out no so communal infection, as it's called, which is infections that are passed on when in hospital. 0n the first part of your question, sorry, i've completely forgotten the first part... the difference between the r in the community... oh, yes. the difference is in terms of the r rate, of course there is a higher incidence of new cases amongst health staff and social care staff. that has shown up in all of the studies but that is not rising as a proportion, and that implies there isn't a different r, so to speak, in

health social care, but the measures you take in health in the nhs and social care are different, hence we have a whole package of work to bear down on the disease in social care, and at the same time a huge package of work that is being undertaken by the nhs in order to get the transmission of coronavirus in hospitals right down. and it is that latter one we are publishing more information on and where we are strengthening the rule around facemasks and face coverings in hospitals. thanks, gordon. nigel morris from the i. secretary of state, the prime minister has talked ofa state, the prime minister has talked of a timetable on easing the next phase of the lockdown from july the 4th onwards, which would cover hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and so on. isn't that now are completely unrealistic target given the rates of infection

and reproduction income as we have talked about, the west and the south—west? and isn't the truth that the hope of a great british staycation beginning to fade with these high numbers? —— in the north—west and south—west. and on the protests, would you be expecting the police to break up demonstrations of seven or more people? thanks, nigel. i can't do anything other than come back to what i said in response to earlier questions on the r number. it is important that people don't seize on one report but rather look at all the reports in the round. so the overall view of sage, having considered all of the information that has come in, is that r, over the country as a whole, remains between 0.7 and 0.9. and,

critically, the 0ns study, which was one of the larger studies and is based on direct measurement rather than modelling, shows that the number of new cases per day is falling, and has fallen from between 9000 and 7000 as it was thought to be around a week ago to around 5600, so you have to look at all of these things in the round and that confirms the r remains at around 0.7 to 0.9, then we are seeking to take a more local approach to tackling outbreaks where we find them. on the second question, that is an operational matter for the police. the last question is from the muslim use. the black, asian and minority ethnic community is very

disappointed with the public health england review, published a few days ago, because the content of the review was nothing new. what the ethnic community was promised and had asked for was to find out why disproportionate numbers of ethnic communities are dying because of covid—19, and they were also expecting the government to put medication to protect the communities. a month ago, i had asked a cabinet office minister, michael gove, that public health needs to look into the structural issues of racism and discrimination which increased health risks in ethnic minorities. michael gove did agree with me that the review should not only look at potential biological aspects but, he said, perhaps socio— economic and

structural factors which could lead to inequality and that inequality may have been as a result of discrimination. however, what was promised by them did not take place, as we can see. what is the reason behind that? our readers are telling us behind that? our readers are telling us that the government, it seems, does not care about ethnic minority deaths, because the review confirms that. thank you for your question, ahmed. the last comment pains me, because we do care deeply about this subject, and that is why, following the publication by public health england, we are taking forward the action, and the equalities minister is working to take forward this point of exactly why the

information, including new information, including new information, and it's not true the public health england report was entirely information already available, but to take forward why and also what we can do about it. many of the steps that are implied, for instance, by socio— economic factors, instance, the higher likelihood, the bigger proportional number of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds working in occupations that and focused, for instance, transport and also the nhs. -- instance, transport and also the nhs. —— occupations that customer focused. that may well be, and i would say is likely to become an important factor in answering this question you rightly ask, which is why. so the answer to that is to address the risks to those occupations, and we are working very

ha rd to occupations, and we are working very hard to do that. in fact, the measure on facemasks, both on public transport and in hospitals, will be steps in that journey. transport and in hospitals, will be steps in thatjourney. but we have absolutely picked up that report and in government we will now be doing the next step in that work to address exactly the question you quite rightly ask. when you look at the structural issues, which michael gove did promise that public health england would look at, but it didn't john mcgrath absolutely, that is exactly what we will be doing, and taking a rigorous, scientific approach to try and understand the root causes and reasons why. in some cases, the public health england report did not take factors into account such as comorbidities or, as i mentioned, occupation, and that is the starting point, but also

questions around deprivation, equality of housing are important as well, because we know that those living in lower quality housing find it more difficult to escape from a contagious virus like this, so absolutely those questions remain to be answered, so we are taking forward the phe work and it's being donein forward the phe work and it's being done in government, by the government equalities office, with all the support they need from across government, including my department, and i very much hope we can get to the bottom of those questions, but all the way along, if we find things that we can do to help reduce these inequalities, we will just help reduce these inequalities, we willjust get on and do them. thank you, and that concludes today's downing street daily press conference. matt hancock bringing friday's briefing to a close, and an unusual sight, a cabinet minister by themselves at the lectern, advisers

with him this afternoon, and i think it's the first time that's happened and we don't really know why the top let's remind ourselves of the main points from that briefing. mr hancock announced that hospital visitors and outpatients will need to wear face coverings, and all hospital staff will be required to wear surgical masks in england from june the 15th. matt hancock also urged people not to take part in mass demonstrations over the weekend, in breach of lockdown rules. well, we can go now to our political correspondent, jessica parker, at westminster. she was listening to all of that. some interesting detail. i wonder if we could start with what was said about the r rate, the rate of reproduction, and the fact it appears to be higher in a couple of english regions. that's right. earlier today, we learnt that the r rate, and worth bearing in mind

there is a time lag in terms of the r rate, but the latest figures were that it was for the country between 0.7 and 0.9, matt hancock repeatedly pressed on some slight different statistics there are around this issue he said he was taking the evidence in the rout but he said it was closer to one in the south—west of england and the north—west of england. so some important regional variations, and i suppose this plays into the idea, and the government has talked about this before, that, as the uk and devolved nations will ta ke as the uk and devolved nations will take their own steps and their own decisions when they think the time is right, but as the country eases itself out of lockdown, you could see this potentially for localised lockdowns. whether that is for a region or much more localised to a school or a workplace, i think that will become clearer as time goes on and this is put into practice, but certainly he referred to the fact that you can see some measures reimposed in certain areas if

infection rates start to increase in certain places. but saying that, overall, for the country, 0.7 to 0.9 for the r rate, but regional variations, which will be important for people living in those regions to know about. we expect some big demonstrations this weekend as a consequence of the killing of george floyd in the us, and the health secretary quite strong about urging people not to attend large gatherings. we have already seen some demonstrations on this, with a lot of people in certain places and certain parts of the uk, including in london. matt hancock saying he was appalled by the death of george floyd and understands why people are deeply upset, but he was trying to emphasise that the uk is still facing what he termed a health crisis, and he wanted people to stick to the rules this weekend and protect themselves and their

families, saying, for the safety of your loved ones, do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations, of more than six people, so that was his call at the press co nfe re nce people, so that was his call at the press conference and we will have to wait and see over the weekend what comes to the past. the fact that there have been some large gatherings causing some concern we have been reported from those protests a nd have been reported from those protests and there were people certainly trying to maintain their distance, people wearing face coverings as well, but clearly there isa coverings as well, but clearly there is a concern that potentially those kinds of crowds could lead to some kinds of crowds could lead to some kind of spike in infections. and a final question, our health editor, hugh pym, asked the health secretary on this grim day of class and 40,000 deaths in the uk from coronavirus, trying to put that into context, given that the government's chief adviser in march had said 20,000 deaths would be a decent outcome, given the severity of this illness. the health secretary sidestepped that rather and talked about

measures that still have to be taken. do you get the impression that questions about the government's handling of this pandemic are still for another day? ministers have repeatedly tried to say that lessons may need to be learnt, will need to be learnt in the future, and that, in certain senses, when they were dealing with this virus, the uk was going from a standing start, whether it was trying to get a testing regime in place. but there have been accusations, including from labour, that the government was slow to act ona number of that the government was slow to act on a number of issues. many people expect that, at some point in the future, there might be some sort of public enquiry and i think what the governor is to suggest is that, while this virus is still in the uk, and it is, the focus must absolutely be on trying to combat it, but obviously a grim milestone today for the country, and certainly, for matt hancock, clearly not wanting to try and go into too much detail today,

but certainly questions will be asked about it in the future. thank you, jessica parker at westminster. with me now is our health correspondent, lauren moss. she was following the briefing. as always, the briefing started with some graphs, showing us where we are in this pandemic. what did we learn? every day we get an update on the number of tests and cases and so on, so let's show you some of them again and explain them further. we were first shown the latest infection levels in the uk and, asjessica numbered, the r number, the number of people and infected person goes on to infect below one is important. at the moment, scientists and government believe it to be 0.7 to 0.9in government believe it to be 0.7 to 0.9 in the uk but, in england, it's thought to be slightly higher, between 0.7 and one, and there are some models suggesting regional variations, which you were just talking about. the office for

national statistics survey as well has found that infection levels could be around 39,000 a week in england. that is one in a thousand people. a couple of weeks ago, a bit ofa people. a couple of weeks ago, a bit of a delay on these figures, but it could have been as high as one in 400, so this is a positive downward turn, but this is only random testing in the community, households, 9000 hassles in england, not a care homes or hospitals. this brings us to the next test numbers, 207,000 tests applied in the last day, 1650 positive cases confirmed, so you can see the overall downward trend, especially from the peak of the virus in april. as the number of infection spell, those treated in hospital continuing to the claim, with around 7000 people treated in hospital is now covid—19. in april, it was 20,000 571 of those patients

needing support with their breathing on ventilators, a number which is still concerning, but much lower thanit still concerning, but much lower than it was several weeks ago. this brings us on to a very grim and tragic milestone, which we have been talking about, the number of people who have died after testing positive in the community and hospitals for coronavirus. another 357 deaths recorded today, which seems to indicate a bit of a rise, but some of these deaths will have occurred several days and weeks ago and the data has been updated in the last 24 hours, but it takes the death toll to 40,261 a staggering and sombre numberand to 40,261 a staggering and sombre number and it's important to remember, behind every number there isa remember, behind every number there is a person and family and loved ones in mourning for that person. indeed. you mentioned the possible regional variation in the r rate, the reproduction rate of this virus. there was some talk about possible

regional lockdowns. yes, the scientists based their advice on a number of surveys, like the ons survey and some of the modelling data which is carried out alongside institutions like cambridge university and public health england, and there is some data which seems to suggest the rate of infection in certain areas of england might be high, in the south—west and the north—west, closer to one, for example. this module is still quite narrow, not enough to really get a clear picture, but when pressed on this, and in the briefing the health secretary was clear in the fact they would consider, to use regional restrictions, like turning a tap on and off, when you think back to the lockdown restrictions we were in several weeks ago, and he referenced an incident in weston—super—mare a few days ago where they were testing more people after what appeared to be an outbreak as a result of more testing, more contact tracing, positive cases were brought to light

and, asa positive cases were brought to light and, as a result, they said there was no risk to the wider community ofi was no risk to the wider community of i think that is evidence again of how important that test, track and trace programme is that we have been hearing so much about last few weeks. many thanks. dentists are allowed to reopen in england from monday — but patients are being warned not to expect business as usual. a survey of 2000 practices by the british dental association suggests only a third are ready to carry out routine appointments. many dentists expect to limit the services they offer, and to treat no more than a quarter of the number of people they saw pre—lockdown. dan johnson reports. this is diy dentistry in desperation. after weeks of pain. this is diy dentistry in desperation. after weeks of painm came out. i called my dentist. i had an appointment on monday but he said he won't be able to do anything really, is just he won't be able to do anything really, isjust going he won't be able to do anything really, is just going to look at it,

i think, because they have to have all the ppe in place, which they haven't got yet. waiting rooms have been empty. phone rings. answering machine message: the surgery is now closed... empty surgeries and patients left in pain. normal surgery will not be resuming at this time... dentistry felt the lockdown more than most. even with the right equipment the weight will only get longer. now i think the most i will be able to see is five. it means changing protective equipment and cleaning again and again. i reckon we are looking at an hour and a half between each patient. we have

literally just been between each patient. we have literallyjust been given the guidance giving first night less than one working day to get everything in place. we don't have key worker status, childcare is a massive problem. we don't expect to see routine patients for 2—3 months. are trying to source the correct ppe... are trying to source the correct ppe. .. across england so many dentists just are not ready, and this new reality may be unsustainable. if the treatments are severely restricted, many of my collea g u es severely restricted, many of my colleagues are on the brink of closing, and if that happens i have a real worry for patient care. so dentistry is not getting any easier. who would be a dentist today? dentistry is not getting any easier. who would be a dentist today7m dentistry is not getting any easier. who would be a dentist today? it was really scary. the pain is very bad. i live on paracetamol, pretty much. it's bleeding. i give up. sorry. dan johnson, bbc news. 0h, oh, dear, difficult.

now, brazil has now recorded the third highest number of deaths from coronavirus of any country, after the united states and the uk. the health ministry says more than 34,000 people have died with covid—19. our correspondent, katy watson, is in sao paulo and has more. now we have one person dying every minute in brazilfrom covid—19 and we have seen record numbers of deaths, and of course when we look at the infection rate, and infection cases, it is second only to the us. meanwhile, in this part of the world, rio, sao paulo, they are talking about reopening. people in rio started surfing in the sea and people are wondering about the wisdom of opening up at this time when brazil hasn't even reached the peak. meanwhile, bolsonaro has said very little, spoke on facebook last night saying the collateral damage of not reopening the economy would be worse than the number of deaths themselves. people here are very concerned that at a time when the situation, the pandemic, is at its

worst, the federal government is just not taking this seriously. that was the bbc‘s katy watson. in comments that are likely to be very controversial, speaking at the white house, president trump appeared to suggest that he thought george floyd might be "looking down", thinking the us was having day‘ in terms of the economy and equality: equaljustice under the law must mean that every american receives equal treatment in every encounter with law enforcement, regardless of race, colour, gender or creed. they have to receive fair treatment from law enforcement. they have to receive it. we all saw what happened last week. we can't let that happen. hopefully, george is looking down right now and saying, "that's a great thing that's happening for our country." that's a great day for him. it's a great day for everybody.

this is a great, great day in terms of equality. comments by president trump a little earlier this afternoon. let's ta ke little earlier this afternoon. let's take a look at the main points from today's downing street briefing with the health secretary matt hancock. a further 357 people had died after being diagnosed with coronavirus in the last 24 hours, an increase from yesterday's daily figures. that means the overall number in the uk who have died goes over 40,000. matt hancock announced that all hospital visitors and outpatients in england should wear face coverings. the nhs is also issuing new guidance from 15thjune, that will require all hospital staff in england to wear surgical masks at all times. and mr hancock addressed recent black lives matter protests — urging members of the public ‘not to attend large

gatherings, including demonstrations‘ —— due to the risk of catching coronavirus. let's listen to the announcement on facemasks from the health secretary. today we are setting out that in hospital they will need to wear face coverings. we have set out that those in hospital, those working in hospital, they are more likely to catch coronavirus, whether they work ina catch coronavirus, whether they work in a clinical setting or not, and so to offer even greater protection we are also providing new guidance for nhs staff in england which will come into force again on the 15th of june, and all hospital staff will be required to wear tight 1 or 2 surgical masks, to cover all staff working in hospital —— type one or two. this will apply in all areas expect those areas designated as covid secure workplaces. of course where the ppe guidance recommends more stringent protection of course that remains in place. we are upgrading this guidance to make sure

that, even as the virus comes under control, and as we saw the following incidents across the country, our hospitals are a place of care and of safety. we have also strengthened infection control in care homes and we are working with the social care sector on how this approach can apply appropriately in social care as well. it's about protecting the nhs and social care, which means protecting our colleagues who work in the nhs and in social care. i want to say this to all my colleagues in health and social care. as we get this virus under control, it is so important that we stamp out new infections and outbreaks. and, of course, in health and care you do this brilliantly all the time, and coronavirus is known —— no exception. it means if one of your

team tests positive you have to follow that isolation advice. the natural impulse, of course, of anybody working in care in the nhs is that the thing you can best do is be there to help, to be there for the patient. but of course if you have the virus or are at risk of having the virus the best thing that you can do for them, as well as yourself, is to isolate at home. well, matt hancock also urged people not to take part in mass demonstrations over the weekend in breach of lockdown rules. like so many i am appalled by the death of george floyd, and i understand why people are deeply upset. but we are still facing a health crisis, and coronavirus remains a real threat. and the reason that it's vital that people stick to the rules this

weekend is to protect themselves and theirfamily weekend is to protect themselves and their family from this horrific disease, so, please, forthe their family from this horrific disease, so, please, for the safety of your loved ones, do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations of more than six people. we all need to stay alert, control the virus and save lives. that was the health secretary speaking just a little while ago. let's take a look at the main points from today's downing street briefing. a further 357 people have died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus in the last 24 hours — an increase from yesterday's daily figures. that means the over all uk total for those who've died has passed 40,000. matt hancock announced that all hospital visitors and outpatients in england should wear face coverings. the nhs is also issuing new guidance from 15thjune, that will require all hospital staff in england

to wear surgical masks at all times. and, as you heard, mr hancock addressed recent black lives matter protests — urging members of the public "not to attend large gatherings, including demonstrations" — due to the risk of catching coronavirus. if you want to find out how many coronavirus cases there have been in your area, go to the bbc news website. enter your postcode or location and you can look up the figures for the number of cases and deaths where you are. you can find that at bbc.co.uk/news. you can find all of that on the website. ina moment it's the six o'clock news with clive myrie. now, the weather. hello. the last couple of days have brought much cooler weather to all parts of the uk and today and tomorrow we will have windy weather, unusually so for this time of year, brought about by the steep area of low pressure and you can see there are weather fronts around so we will see some further showers along with

spells of rain, but we may have some early summer gales, and those gusts of wind are already starting to escalate and could well reach around 60 miles an hourfor northern escalate and could well reach around 60 miles an hour for northern and western parts through the latter pa rt western parts through the latter part of the day. with that, some wet weather, some snow over the tops of the mountains, and further south we will see some sunshine in between the showers, but the showers are heavy. we have already had some thunder and lightning and also a little bit of hail stones too. gusty winds, 35—40 mph, the strongest winds, 35—40 mph, the strongest winds through the remainder of friday across the northern part of the uk but gradually through the night the stronger winds meander southwards as our low pressure pushes a band of rain, wetter weather, further south as well. so a blustery night and as a result temperatures holding around 7—8d, but if you are right it will clearly feel chilly given the strength of that wind, which will still be with us that wind, which will still be with us through saturday. the strongest winds are slowly edging southwards into england and wales is that lower

pressure m oves into england and wales is that lower pressure moves across the north sea toward the east anglian coastline, and with that those long spells of rain which will turn showery through the afternoon and could spark some heavy, thundery showers as well. maureen potentially in the north of scotla nd maureen potentially in the north of scotland and possibly northern ireland. in between, we are talking about —— more rain potentially. still that blustery and chilly wind but it will ease just a little across the north. again, a cool day, temperatures below where they should be for this time of year and it will feel even cooler further south with more cloud around and outbreaks of rain. gradually, though, through saturday night into sunday we started to see that pulling away from western areas, high pressure starts to build in. a drier day. still cool, still quite cloudy and there will still be showery breaks of rain for many eastern areas and it will still feel cool eastern areas and it will still feel cool, temperatures below average but we start to let them a little across scotland, northern ireland, western areas, as things start to quieten

down, and that quietening down continues into the early part of next week.

the terrible toll of the coronavirus on the uk. now more than 40,000 people have died. some of the faces of the vicitms. britain is second only to america in reaching the milestone. each of these deaths is not a statistic but the loss of a loved one for so many families. but there is some good news. latest figures suggest infections are falling dramatically. so what is the government's strategy now going forward, as lockdowns begin to ease? also on the programme... the suspect in the madeleine mccann case is now being investigated over a missing five—year—old girl in germany.